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A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 1 april 2017

Venezuela’s top prosecutor rebukes Supreme Court power grab

FABIOLA SANCHEZ meeting Saturday in Ar-
JOSHUA GOODMAN gentina to discuss the crisis.
Associated Press “This clearly destroys the
CARACAS, Venezuela most important pillar of any
(AP) — Venezuela’s chief democracy, which is pop-
prosecutor broke with the ular representation,” said
government on Friday and Colombian President Juan
rebuked a Supreme Court Manuel Santos, who in the
decision stripping Congress past has been reluctant to
of its last vestiges of power, criticize Maduro, fearing a
showing a crack in the uni- backlash against the mil-
ty of the embattled social- lions of Colombians who
ist government of President live in Venezuela and in
Nicolas Maduro as it came recent months have been
flocking home in the face
under a torrent of interna- of the worsening econom-
tional condemnation over ic crisis.
what many decried as a A day after the Trump ad-
major step toward dicta- ministration strongly criti-
torship. cized the Supreme Court’s
In a shocking pronounce- move and called on Mad-
ment, long-time govern- uro to free political prison-
ment loyalist Luisa Ortega ers, the State Department
Diaz said it was her “un- pointed to the OAS as the
avoidable historical duty” Venezuelan Bolivarian National guards officers are confronted by university students during a best place to address con-
as the nation’s top judicial protest outside of the Supreme Court in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, March 31, 2017. Venezuelans cerns about Venezuela.
authority to denounce have been thrust into a new round of political turbulence after the government-stacked Supreme OAS Secretary General Luis
what she called a “rupture” Court gutted congress of its last vestiges of power, drawing widespread condemnation from for- Almagro called an emer-
of the constitutional order. eign governments and sparking protests in the capital. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) gency meeting to discuss
“We call for reflection, so the crisis after two previous
that the democratic path of the National Assembly, rule, called on other pub- Smolansky, a Caracas area sessions this week ended
can be retaken,” she said which has been controlled lic officials to follow Ortega mayor. with 20 governments led by
to the loud applause of by the opposition for nearly Diaz’s example. They also Amid so much intrigue, the U.S. and Mexico voic-
aides gathered around her. a year and a half. urged the military, the tra- the normally ever-present ing deep concern but no
The statement gave a ma- The United States and ditional arbiter of political Maduro was conspicuous- concrete actions to hold
jor boost to the opposition, governments across Latin disputes in Venezuela, to ly silent and by late Friday Maduro accountable.
some of whom spent the America condemned the break its silence and de- had not commented on “This is a decisive hour
day sparring with riot police power grab, which the fend the constitution draft- the ruling, nor had leaders for the region,” said op-
and gearing up for what head of the Organization ed by late President Hugo of his ruling United Social- position leader Henrique
they hope will be nation- of American States likened Chavez to which it swore ist Party of Venezuela. His Capriles, who met Friday
wide protests Saturday. to a “self-inflicted coup” allegiance. foreign minister was forced with Almagro in Washing-
The Supreme Court ruled by the leftist Maduro. The “You have a new oppor- to abruptly cancel a meet- ton. We’ll find out “who is
late Wednesday that as United Nations’ top human tunity to show the country ing with diplomats in the with the people and de-
long as lawmakers re- rights official also expressed and international commu- capital to explain the ruling mocracy and who is with
mained in contempt of “grave concern” and nity if you are with the dic- after Colombia, Chile and corruption and dictator-
court rulings that nullified called on the high court to tatorship or want your chil- Peru withdrew their am- ship.”
all legislation passed by the reverse its decision. dren and grandchildren to bassadors. The Mercosur In Caracas, national
chamber, the high court Opposition leaders, long- grow and live in a country trade bloc, which suspend- guardsmen in riot gear fired
can assume the constitu- marginalized during the where there’s democracy ed Venezuela in Decem- buckshot and swung ba-
tionally assigned powers past 17 years of socialist and liberty,” said David ber, called an emergency tons at a group of students
who gathered outside the
Supreme Court. Several
Brazil police officers seen executing suspects arrested protesters were arrested
and some journalists had
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — reporters on Friday that traffickers. on social media and led their cameras seized. One
Brazilian police say they’ve the two officers have been In the video, the two offi- to protests Thursday night journalist, from Colombia’s
arrested two officers seen charged with murder. cers are seen shooting the in Acari. It’s unclear who Caracol Radio, was sur-
on video executing two The incident occurred two suspects with automat- made the video. rounded by a dozen mili-
suspected gunmen lying in- Thursday in the low-income ic rifles. Both men appear Police say that a stray bul- tary members who swung
jured on the ground. neighborhood of Acari fol- to be moving before be- let killed a 13-year-old girl her around by her arms
Rio de Janeiro police lowing a shootout between ing shot. The images of the inside a nearby school dur- and legs, and appeared
spokesman Ivan Blaz told police and suspected drug killing were shared widely ing the shootout.q to hit and drag her.q